Cement production begins in Burundi

Burundi Cement Company (BUCECO) has started cement production at its plant in the northern province of Chibitoke and aims to produce approximately 35 000 t this year.

Local reports suggest that US$10 million was spent on assembling and equipping the plant, which will have an installed capacity of 100 000 tpa.

According to Burundi’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, over 120 000 t of cement were imported by the country last year, mainly from East African Community (EAC) neighbours, including Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

Managing Director of BUCECO, Aime Mananda, said: “We have good news for Burundians, the cement we produce will be cheaper than what is currently found on the market.” He continued: “Our 50 kg bag of cement shall be available at retail stores at only  FBU 20 000 (Burundi Francs), an equivalent US$16/bag.” Cement is the country had typically been sold at  FBU 21 500/bag (US$17).

However, the company still has to import raw materials from abroad, and there has also been an irregular supply of water and electricity to the plant.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/africa-middle-east/14022011/cement_production_begins_in_burundi/